David Letterman announced today, at a taping of Late Show, that he will be retiring. The word came out through Twitter from those in the studio. Last October, Letterman extended his contract with CBS through 2015. After 32 years (11 at Late Night and 21 at Late Show), Letterman has the record for longest working late-night host in TV history. More info to come later.
Letterman’s representative released the below official statement:
David Letterman, during a taping of tonight’s Late Show, said that he informed Leslie Moonves, President and CEO of CBS Corporation, that he will step down as the host of the show in 2015, which is when his current contract expires.
“The man who owns this network, Leslie Moonves, he and I have had a relationship for years and years and years, and we have had this conversation in the past, and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance. And I phoned him just before the program, and I said ‘Leslie, it’s been great, you’ve been great, and the network has been great, but I’m retiring,’†said Letterman.Â
“I just want to reiterate my thanks for the support from the network, all of the people who have worked here, all of the people in the theater, all the people on the staff, everybody at home, thank you very much. What this means now, is that Paul and I can be married.â€
“We don’t have the timetable for this precisely down – I think it will be at least a year or so, but sometime in the not too distant future, 2015 for the love of God, in fact, Paul and I will be wrapping things up,†he added, to a standing ovation from the audience in the Ed Sullivan Theater.
And the video of his announcement: